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by bearlywrite



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alfred drives an Uber, Arthur is kind of tipsy, M/M, Matt and Francis lowkey annoyed with the two, they cry and kiss and make up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 16:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13462248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearlywrite/pseuds/bearlywrite
Summary: Arthur calls for an Uber to get back to wallowing in his misery, but the driver ends up being the source of his sadness.





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**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlemaple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemaple/gifts).



> Prompt: Person A calls an uber and their driver is their ex. It’s a bit of a long drive and they finally get to say some things to each other that they had been avoiding saying.
> 
> Notes: I got this prompt a while back from @not-aph-england on tumblr, so thank you for the inspiration~! I hope you enjoy it!!

Arthur stumbled out of the bar, cursing his luck. It was late, he was past the point of merely tipsy, and he was pissed off.

Great.

Running a hand through his messy hair he took out his phone and arranged an Uber to come save him from this godforsaken bar.

Arthur had been hiding away in his house for weeks, due to an untimely, and nasty breakup, so of course Francis insisted on him coming out, and  _of course_  the Frenchman insisted on drinking the night away to ‘forget their heartache’.

Even though Arthur was the only one with heartache to forget. Francis just liked excuses to drink and get laid.

And  _of course,_ Francis would ditch him once a pretty little thing caught his eye, because it wouldn’t be Francis if he didn’t- or so the blonde Frenchman said as he was running away from the brit with that night’s fling all over him.

So, Arthur found himself alone, sad, and slightly drunk on the sidewalk in front of the bar, waiting for his Uber to show up and take him away from his misery.

Arthur heaved a sigh, the sadness flooding through him. It wasn’t his first break up. No, it was far from it, but it had been the one that hurt the most.

Alfred. He was perfect for Arthur in every way. Where Arthur was cynical, Alfred was a bright ball of optimism, and where Alfred was bursting with enthusiasm and energy, Arthur calmed him down and relaxed him in the best ways. They were two opposite forces completely balancing each other out, and they were perfect together.

_But now that’s gone_ , Arthur reminded himself with a sigh.

Sure, their relationship wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it had been going well – that is, until Arthur had to go and screw it up.

Arthur bristled at the memory. The night had been filled with soft gasps and moans of pleasure until Alfred brought up taking their relationship further, which was something Arthur wanted dearly, but wasn’t ready for.

He loved Alfred, more than he could ever tell the blonde, but his heart and his mind were always at a standoff. Arthur had been down that road before – fell in love, moved in together, was ready to give his hand in marriage and it all came crashing down once Arthur found out his partner had been cheating. That had nearly broken him, and he wasn’t ready to give his all just yet. His heart wanted Alfred more than anything, but his mind was telling him to wait. Alfred knew that, but the two snapped that night.

Arthur cussed Alfred out, things were thrown, Alfred stormed out with a few choice words aimed at the Englishman, and Arthur found himself buried in his bed, tears running down his face as a salty reminder he was never going to be enough for the person he loved.

He still had Alfred’s clothes, his toothbrush, his stupid Captain America posters on the wall; he still had everything. He still smelled him on his sheets and instinctively reached out for him in the morning only to feel his heart re-break when his hand met cold, empty air.

Arthur was pulled from his self-deprecating thoughts as a car pulled up to the curb, and even in his slightly drunken stupor, he knew that was his Uber. But it did look oddly familiar…

Arthur shrugged to himself and pushed himself towards the car, swaying slightly as he approached. He grabbed the door handle with a vice-like grip to steady himself before swinging the door open and nearly throwing himself into the backseat.

“1624 Main, and if you would kindly step on it,” Arthur grumbled, rubbing his head in his own frustration. He swore he heard a harsh intake of breath from the driver as soon as he opened his mouth, but he was too tipsy and pissed to care. “I feel like absolute rubbish.”

Arthur was met with silence and his mind filled with all the memories and sadness he’d been trying to repress for too long. Maybe it was because he was slightly drunk, and he was more emotional, or perhaps it was the familiarity of the car, or he had just held in his sorrows for far too long, but Arthur couldn’t contain his misery any longer and he felt the tears he’d been suppressing finally well up in his green eyes. He felt a quiet sob rip from his throat, but he steeled himself, having enough semblance of control to keep himself from breaking down in a stranger’s car.

He had to play the role of the gentleman, after all.

“Sorry, lad,” Arthur hiccupped, swaying lightly in his seat. His hands were fisted into his hair, pulling as subtly as he could in attempt to stop the tears. He still hadn’t seen the poor fellow who was stuck driving his sorry ass home, but he couldn’t look up from the ground unless he wanted to risk letting the tears fall from his eyes. “I won’t throw up in your car,” He managed a bitter smile. “I won’t mess someone else’s night up because I’m a miserable mess.”

Arthur rest his head on the window, waiting for the driver to start the car up and take him back to his flat, but after another minute passed and they still sat idle in front of the bar, Arthur felt himself grow irritated.

He just wanted to get home and lock himself in his room that still smelled of  _him_ and wallow in his own misery.  _Was that too much to ask?_

He pried his head off the cool glass of the window and reeled as his world spun. He swore to himself he’d never drink like this again, even though he knew he would never hold that promise. Ever since he left, he’d been drinking more heavily. It was a coping mechanism- drink until he forgot.

As his world slowly blurred back into focus, he managed to pick himself up and crawl over the center console of the car. He intended to give the driver a piece of his mind, and cuss him out for delaying his wallowing time.

With one hand secured in the cupholder and the other having a vice-like grip on the sturdy shoulder of his driver, he hoisted himself up and over the console. He felt his world spin once more and promptly fell forward, his face nearly colliding with the radio had it not been for a strong arm that shot out and cushioned his fall.

His world swam back into focus yet again, and he cursed under his breath. They weren’t even moving yet, and he was still flopping around like a fish out of water.

He pulled himself away from the strong arm that had prevented him from face planting into the front of the car, his grip loosening from the man’s shoulder, blurry eyes honing in on the figure in front of him.

Golden blonde hair with a stubborn cowlick in the front, beautiful blue eyes hidden behind glasses, though not obscured by them, lips that he knew were soft and inviting.

Even in his hazy, alcohol filled mind, Arthur knew exactly who he was looking at.

A man he had been in love with.

Was  _still_ in love with.

_Bloody hell._

Alfred stared at Arthur, a look gracing his beautiful features that Arthur had never seen on him before. He was usually all smiles and sunshine, but now he looked almost like a shell in comparison. He couldn’t tell if the other man was happy to see him, or if he wanted to shove the Englishman out of his car and speed off.

But there was more emotions swimming in those deep blues that Arthur couldn’t sort out. Fear, sadness, concern maybe? The Englishman didn’t know, but he didn’t like how that look twisted his gut in all the wrong ways and made the memories from that horrible night come invading his mind once again, like an infection he couldn’t escape.

The two men stared at each other for a moment, Arthur’s eyes scanning over the body he used to know like the back of his hand, and he felt another powerful twinge in his heart as he was faced with just how much he missed this American.

Arthur felt more than saw Alfred’s eyes do the same, raking over his body but not in the hungry way they used to. This time it felt more like pity, and Arthur felt himself break at the thought. Who wouldn’t pity a man in his state? He knew he didn’t look nearly as good as he had before, when they were together. Arthur now had deep bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep, and the green of his eyes were rimmed red from the tears he’d been suppressing. His hair was more of a mess than usual, his clothes wrinkled and dirty, and he  _knew_ Alfred could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Arthur  _knew_ he was a mess without Alfred, and it killed him.

But then, Arthur finally looked up, finally  _looked_ at Alfred, and he was shocked to see that the usual golden boy didn’t seem to be in much better condition than he was.

Sure, he didn’t reek of alcohol, but he had dark circles under his eyes that rivaled his own, those soft lips were now chapped, as if they had been chewed on mercilessly, and his eyes lost the spark he always knew to be there. In that sparkling enthusiasm’s place was… nothing. Those sweet blue eyes were now dull- broken.

And it was  _Arthur’s fault._

He finally had enough sense to rip his hand away from Alfred’s shoulder, it still tingling with the warmth that Alfred always gave off. The same warmth that comforted him too many times to count, now, it scalded him.

He pushed himself away from the console, flopping back into his seat before blindly grabbing for the door handle. He missed it several times in his drunken haze, cursing under his breath as his vision blurred even more with the tears that had come back to his eyes with a vengeance.

After finally finding the door handle he gave it a hard pull, frowning when the door didn’t budge. He pulled again, harder this time, desperate, and again with no change. He let his hand fall back into his lap and lowered his head in defeat. His tears slid off his face and plopped onto his trousers and he found himself glaring down at the wet spots in shame.

“Bloody fucking hell…” Arthur mumbled softly as the tears now began cascading down his pale cheeks without restraint. It was amazing how one look from Alfred could break his resolve after nearly a month.

A tentative hand reached out and lightly brushed Arthur’s shoulder, who then buried himself in his hands, so his weakness wouldn’t be seen any longer. He couldn’t stand Alfred seeing him in such a state, even if they were no longer together. He swore to himself that the next time he saw Alfred he would be looking better than ever, but now the reality of the situation is that Alfred’s seeing him again for the first time in a month and he’s in this sorry state.

“Arthur…”

Arthur choked out a sob, not having heard that voice say his name in a month. It was too much for him; there was a careful tenderness underneath the concern of his sweet American-accented voice and it killed Arthur to hear.

Alfred sat in silence for a few minutes as Arthur continued to choke back tears and sobs. The Englishman was shocked that it wasn’t the other way around, but he wrote it off on the alcohol that was coursing through him.

His head suddenly snapped up when he heard the door open and saw Alfred get out of the car. He stared at the door, a weight settling in his chest. Alfred had left him again.

But then the passenger door opened on the other side of the car and the American slid himself in, not looking at Arthur as he gently placed his hand on the Englishman’s shoulder once again.

Arthur felt like his heart was about to burst when he felt the tender hand move from his shoulder to his back and begin comfortingly rubbing small circles on his back, and then Arthur was done. He finally let the sob break free and sunk back into the palm that was so familiar yet so strange at the same time.

Alfred curled his arm around Arthur, pulling the smaller man into his chest, his head resting atop the other’s. Arthur shook against the warm chest that he hadn’t seen or felt in too long, and he finally let out an entire month’s worth of tears now that he was finally back in the arms that he belonged in.

Both men knew that words didn’t need to be said in this moment. It was plain as day on each sad, tired face.

Arthur’s sobs soon quieted to a few small sniffles, but the man refused to break away from the warmth Alfred was providing him. He didn’t want to leave the comforting arms yet, he wanted to stay buried in them forever.

So, he curled himself into Alfred, and if the younger man had any objections, he didn’t voice them. Instead, he wrapped his arms tighter around the smaller man, bringing them close together. Arthur buried his nose into the broad chest in front of him, inhaling the scent that intoxicated him even more than the alcohol did earlier in the night.

But, all good things must come to an end, and Arthur nearly cried again when warm hands removed themselves from him, and he was gently pushed away from the warm chest he loved.

The look on Alfred’s face broke Arthur’s heart.

It was a mix of longing, love and sadness, but hidden inside his blue depths was a hint of apprehension. He knew what the American was thinking, it was the same thing on his mind: What were they doing?

Alfred opened his mouth to speak, but he paused and clamped it shut. He averted his eyes from Arthur’s, staring at the space between them. Arthur fidgeted a little in his seat, the warmth of Alfred’s embrace still tingling his skin.

But then a soft hand reached up to wipe away the tears still hanging to Arthur’s long eyelashes before gliding across his cheeks to rest there, holding his head in a soft caress.

“Artie…” Alfred said. Arthur let his lips quirk up slightly at the nickname. He leaned in slightly, and Arthur was met with another whiff of his cologne and melted into the hand still rested on his face. With a whisper he said, “What are you doing, darlin’?”

Alfred looked past him to the pub with concern laden in his eyes. His eyes turned back to Arthur, and Arthur watched those blue eyes fill with sadness as he looked at him, with his teary eyes and red face.

“I… Francis insisted I finally leave my house…” He trailed off, not exactly wanting to come clean and tell Alfred he had barely left it since that night. The first two weeks he hadn’t, but Francis refused to continue bringing him food and he finally forced himself out when he could no longer take the pain in his stomach from not eating. He also didn’t want to tell Alfred he restocked his bar when he was out, having drank every single bottle he’d owned in those two weeks.

Alfred looked at him and shook his head. He knew exactly what the Englishman did in this month, because he had done something similar. Matthew’s patience with him ran out and about a week ago he’d finally gotten out of the house and mindlessly drove around town for hours. He didn’t want to tell Arthur that he’d passed his apartment on multiple occasions, and that he stared at the windows hoping to get a glance at the man he still loved. And when he went to leave the house again for another mindless drive, Matthew had suggested at least making some money to make up for all the gas he’d wasted.

The two stared at each other in silence, neither knowing what to say.

Alfred finally broke the silence, reaching out to the smaller man.

“I missed you, Arthur,” He whispered. “I missed you so much.”

Arthur shook his head, feeling the tears begin to prick at his eyes once more. Alfred’s blue eyes shone bright in the streetlights with a tear slipping past him as well. He allowed himself to be pulled into strong arms, and he wrapped his arms around the American’s neck and clung to him as if his life depended on it.

“I missed you too, love,” Arthur sniffled. “I’m sorry…”

Alfred shook his head, pulling them even closer together.

“Don’t apologize darlin’,” Arthur shivered as he felt the soft puffs of breath on his neck. “we were both idiots.”

Arthur chuckled. “Just don’t leave me again…”

Alfred shook his head again, running a hand to card through sandy blonde hair.

“Never again, sweetheart,” He pulled back and planted a kiss into Arthur’s hair. “never again.”

Those were the only words that needed to be said. Those were the only words that mattered in that moment in time.

The two men sat in the backseat, held tight in each other’s arms and allowed themselves to grip onto the other with all their strength, afraid that if they let the other go, they’d be gone forever.

Alfred pulled away slightly, and with a small smile gracing his tear stained face he leaned in to give Arthur a soft kiss on his forehead.

“How about I bring us home?”

Arthur smiled and nodded, before leaning up to claim Alfred’s lips in a gentle kiss.

He’d never felt more at home than in that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read this! I hope you enjoyed!!   
> Feel free to stop by my tumblr @thequietgamer.tumblr.com


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